DATE:
May 13, 2025
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Public Works
TITLE: Public Safety Building, Design,
Project-20-49—Appropriation and
Professional Services Agreement
RECOMMENDATION
1. Transfer and appropriate $6,800,000 from the General Fund Budget Contingency Reserve to Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49.
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to amend the professional services agreement with SVA Architects, Inc., a California corporation (Entity No. 2549921), for Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49, to add $6,100,000 for additional professional services, for a total not- to-exceed amount of $7,500,000.
BACKGROUND
The existing Police /Fire Administration Building opened in 1980 and houses fixed Police Department operations, Emergency Dispatch, the Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief, support staff, and the Emergency Operations Center. The building was designed prior to the Essential Service Seismic Safety Act of 1986 and does not meet current seismic standards for such structures.
The project would replace the existing facility with a completely new one on the same site. The proposed Public Safety Building Project would be located at 1000 Villa Street , at the corner of Villa and Franklin Streets, in the Public Facility Zoning District (see Figure 1). The 4.3-acre site is occupied by the City’s current approximately 44,000 square-foot Police/Fire Administration Building, staff and public parking, and support facilities.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
Figure 1: Location Map
On December 3, 2019 , Council authorized the City Manager to execute a professional services agreement with SVA Architects, Inc. (SVA), to analyze three alternative scope options and provide conceptual design services in an amount not to exceed $800,000.
On October 12, 2021
, Council took the following actions:
1. Selected Alternative B, new building on existing site, for the new Public Safety Building;
2. Authorized the City Manager or designee to amend the existing professional services agreement with SVA for an additional $600,000 to provide design services through the schematic design phase for Project, in a total not-to-exceed amount of $1,400,000; and
3. Directed staff to develop options for funding the design and construction of the new Public Safety Building for Council consideration and approval.
On June 27, 2023
, Council reviewed the Public Safety Building’s conceptual design and directed staff to bring the project back to Council with information on:
“CITY LOT
11”
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
1. Accommodating the expected population for the building 40 to 50 years from now and , if needed, provide more building space through the addition of another floor, another building on the remnant parcel, or other alternative.
2. Adding a second egress from the garage.
3. Adding a shooting range on the parcel.
4. Maintaining the corner of Villa Street and Franklin Street as a welcoming space for community activities.
5. Ensuring the building engages with the street.
6. Architectural changes that provide for natural light and a welcoming design but also emulate the permanence and presence of the City Hall and Center for the Performing Arts buildings.
Additionally, Council also included that staff be granted discretion to recommend elements that would not substantially delay the project or increase its cost.
On December 5, 2023
, Council approved the following (see Figure 2):
• Increasing the Public Safety Building size to approximately 75,000 square feet, providing sufficient capacity for future growth;
• Adding a second egress from the garage;
• Adding a fully enclosed shooting range to the top of the parking structure;
• Increasing the expanded outdoor event space outside the auditorium; and
• Increasing the number of public parking spaces to 33.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
Project Elements:
1. 75,000 square foot building
2. Corner public entry plaza
3. Public event plaza
4. Public parking
5. Second public safety vehicle access
6. Secure staff parking structure
7. 15-lane shooting range (top level)
8. Secure staff surface parking
9. K9 Training Area
10. Future City use (0.6 acre)
Figure 2: Conceptual Site Plan
The cost to design and construct the
above scope was estimated to be approximately $204 million, assuming that construction will commence by fall 2025.
The City Council also selected Civic—Americana as the architectural design for the building (see Figure 3) and approved an increase of the public art budget from $400,000 to $1 million. Staff identified that they would return to Council for consideration of the recommended architectural concept design of the parking garage, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) clearance, and Heritage Tree removals and mitigation plan.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
Figure 3: Civic—Americana Architectural Style
On June 25, 2024, Council adopted Resolution 18908 to place a revenue measure (Measure G ) on the November 2024 ballot and other related actions to secure additional funding for the Public Safety Building project as well as other Citywide funding needs if approved by voters.
On September 10, 2024
, Council adopted Resolution 18924 establishing programmatic goals and spending priorities, among other related elements, for general tax revenue generated by Measure G funds with the following allocation:
• 35% to 40% of the revenue for public safety facilities; • 30% to 35% for parks, open space and biodiversity;
• 20% to 25% for affordable housing; and
• 5% to 15% for other government services (road maintenance, small business support, homelessness prevention, active transportation, and work force development).
On November 5, 2024, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure G, with over 72% voting in favor of creating an additional tier to the existing property transfer tax for transactions over $6 million.
On December 17, 2024
, Council approved the following:
• Revising the project scope to include a reduction in size of the parking garage, and a reduced size and phased approach for the shooting range.
• A Public Art Budget decrease from $1 million to $400,000.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
Additionally, Council directed staff to conduct value engineering for staging and/or construction logistics for potential additional project cost savings, and for staff to return to the City Council with a funding plan for the project.
ANALYSIS
Professional Services Amendment
To keep the project moving forward , the City directed SVA to initiate design of the main Public Safety Building following Council’s direction on the project scope in December 2024 . SVA’s existing $1,400,000 agreement provided for services through conceptual design , with contingency for additional services. This initial design work on the main Public Safety Building utilized contingency funding and the contract funding has been nearly fully expended . An amendment to the SVA agreement is needed to add compensation for the full design phase, including the detailed and robust technical drawings and specifications needed for architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, telecommunications, solar photovoltaic, civil, and landscape design of the building , garage and site. This includes substantial coordination across these multiple disciplines to ensure consistency and alignment in the design of a facility that is safe and functions effectively in its service to the community and its housing of City staff, operations, and programs. In addition, SVA will complete the garage concept development, as well as provide construction support services for the project through construction. The garage architectural concept is currently in process and staff will return to Council later in 2025 for consideration of the concept plan for the garage structure.
The agreement amendment will allow the design consultant to complete the concept development and construction document tasks , ensuring that all design decisions align with project goals, budget constraints, and regulatory requirements , and ready the P ublic Safety Building project for construction. The fee for these added design services, reimbursables, and support services is $6,100,000. This fee is consistent with such services, and staff considers the fee to be fair and reasonable for the scope of work required. Staff recommends adding $6,100,000 in additional services to the SVA professional services agreement for a total not -to- exceed amount of $7,500,000.
Additional Project Management and Administration Funding
Staff members provide project management and administration for Capital Improvement Program projects and charge their time spent to the respective projects they support. The budget for project management and administration for Public Safety Building, Design, Project-20-49 has been nearly exhausted, and additional project funding is needed in the amount of $700,000.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
A summary of the budget increase requests is as follows:
Table 1: Project 20-49 Budget Increase
Professional Design Services Amendment (SVA) $6,100,000 Staff and Administration 700,000
TOTAL: $6,800,000
NEXT STEPS
Staff will return to Council in the second half of 2025 for approval of the architectural concept design for the parking garage . Staff will also solicit proposals for specialized construction management firms in spring 2025 and return to Council in summer 2025 to seek approval to engage a qualified firm to provide essential day -to-day needs for preconstruction, on-site construction management with the contractor , LEED, and commissioning services. These services differ from the SVA construction services, where SVA provides design focused support during construction. Staff will also return to Council in fall 2025 for the CEQA clearance and to bring a recommendation for Heritage tree removals and mitigations following the Park and Recreation Commission’s review of a recommended tree mitigation plan.
Staff will meet with the Visual Arts Committee in fall 2025 to review public art options for this project. Design completion for the administration building is anticipated in January 2026, with construction starting in summer 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT
Public Safety Building , Design, Project 20 -49, is funded with $2,000,000 from the Construction/Conveyance Tax Fund. An increase in appropriations of $6,800,000 is requested to fund the professional design and construction support services of the project and to cover staff project management and administration . Staff recommends an increase in appropriations of $6,800,000 from the General Fund Budget Contingency Reserve, for total project funding of $8,800,000. There is sufficient funding in the General Fund Budget Contingency Reserve for the recommended action.
The professional services agreement fee, with the inclusion of the recommended amendment of $6,100,000, is $6,500,000 for basic services and reimbursable expenses, and a contingency of $1,000,000 for additional services, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $7,500,000.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
Currently, the project is not fully funded; however, with the passage of Measure G, and the City’s intention to issue debt to fund a majority of the project, a comprehensive funding plan is being developed and will be brought to Council for consideration in June 2025.
LEVINE ACT
California Government Code Section 84308 (also known as the Levine Act) prohibits city officials from participating in any proceeding involving a “license, permit, or other entitlement for use” if the official has received a campaign contribution exceeding $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant within the last 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to- play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
Please see below for information about whether the recommended action for this agenda item is subject to or exempt from the Levine Act.
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
☒ Contract or franchise agreement
CONCLUSION
The Public Safety Building project is currently under design. The funding for the design contract with SVA has been nearly fully spent on work to -date on the conceptual and schematic design phases, as originally scoped . A $6.1 million amendment to the SVA agreement will provide funding needed for the parking garage concept development, the full design phase for the entire project, as well as construction support services. An increase of $700,000 in funding for City project management and administrative costs is also needed . A transfer and a ppropriation of $6,800,000 from the General Fund Budget Contingency Reserve to Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49 will provide the needed funding to keep the project moving forward for successful implementation.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Do not authorize appropriation of $ 6,800,000 from the General Fund Budget Contingency Reserve and direct staff to use other funding sources.
2. Do not authorize the amendment to the professional service agreement with SVA and direct staff to negotiate a different amount.
3. Provide other direction.
Public Safety Building, Design, Project 20-49–
Appropriation and Professional Services Agreement
May 13, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICING
Agenda posting and mailers to residents and property owners within a 750’ radius of the project boundaries. This item was also shared on the City’s website.
Prepared by:
Naveen Govind
Senior Project Manager
David O. Printy
Principal Project Manager
Reviewed by:
Edward Arango
Assistant Public Works Director/
City Engineer
Approved by:
Jennifer Ng
Public Works Director
Michael Canfield
Police Chief
Juan F. Diaz
Fire Chief
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
NG-DOP/LL/4/CAM
933-05-13-25CR
204994
cc: APWD— Arango, PCE —Printy, PCE —Shah, SPM —Govind, SMA— Goedicke, SMA—Doan, File (20-49)